I have come to really appreciate the seasons of the church year—Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost and Ordinary Time. These are the primary seasons of the Liturgical Calendar that I hope to reflect on over the next year in this series of writings. Growing up in the American evangelical church, I used to […]
Tag: Church
On Again, Off Again, On Again
My writing behavior on here has always been “on” for a while then “off” for a longer while. Up until recently, I have felt quite guilty about this, especially how my endings are often abrupt and unsettled. Between my various writing phases on this blog, my thinking on the subjects addressed here never stops. The […]
On Maundy Thursday
I’ve come to view Maundy Thursday as one of the most meaningful dates on the Christian calendar for me. It is a day steeped in lessons that seem to become more and more needed in our modern times, where we have become so desensitized to the dehumanization around us and partake in such acts so […]
On Context
It is impossible to meditate on the topic of “faith and politics” without considering church history and the seemingly endless involvement the Christian church (arguably all denominations) have had with (or against) political systems for the last 2,000+ years. It is viewed by many nowadays that there should be a separation between church and state. […]
On Peace on Earth
During this past Christmas season, I found myself meditating on the concept of “peace on earth”. Peace between nations, peace between people, peace from war, and peace within. As cards of the season’s greetings came in the mail, as church services were attended, and as all the festive lights shown around me, I found myself […]
On Victory
On this day, the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, we must ask ourselves: What would victory look like for the Reformation? And have we reached that point? Is victory the unification of Catholic and Lutheran churches? Is victory unification of all Christendom? Is victory joint statements on doctrines and beliefs? Is victory the honoring […]
On Strangers and Enemies
Strangers are not always our enemies and our enemies are not always strangers, but we often treat strangers like our enemies and our enemies like strangers. And that’s because strangers and enemies are both often simply the result of human-made barriers and conflict. Some barriers are so systemically ingrained in our world that we forget […]
On Money
A key frustration of Martin Luther was how the church glorified and used money. He saw that the church in his day distorted the good news of Christ by offering salvation in exchange for money. And when the church became focused on money it ceased being the church. It stopped serving God. I wonder if […]
On The Church
Often when looking at the negative repercussions of the Protestant Reformation, we point to the disunity, division, and church splits it caused. The sadder reality though is that the Reformation caused so much hatred and violence between fellow Christ-followers. On the night He would be betrayed (after the betrayer had left the room) Jesus said to […]
On Relationships
Martin Luther challenged the church teachings on relationships for priests and got married. Protestant churches today often view this as a minor detail. A natural, easy thing to accept. However, we must realize the uniqueness of this action. Now, it may be that historically some priests had secret wives in Luther’s day, but there is […]
Relevant Reformation 